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The program for DFCon 2026 is available NOW!

7:00 - 8:00 Registration Open
8:00 - 8:10 The Departure Lounge
David G. Armstrong (DPM, MD, PhD), Joseph L. Mills Sr. (MD, FACS), Michael S. Conte (MD)
SESSION 1: Hop on the Magic Bus- Different Nations, Same Sole
8:10 - 8:25 The Bus Starts Here: The 2026 Global Preservation Tour
Sicco Bus, PhD
8:25 - 8:40 One Team, in the Name of Limbs: How MLK Hospital Is Making the Impossible Possible
David Tobey, DO
8:40 - 8:55How do we define a Center of Excellence in Limb Preservation? A Message from Exotic Portland
Cy Dove, DPM
8:55 - 9:10Oh! Canada! A North American Free Toes Alliance (NAFTA)
Ahmed Kayssi, MD
9:10 - 9:25 V.A.-Va-Voom! Driving System-Wide Limb Preservation in the Department of Veterans Affairs
Hiro Suzuki, MD
9:25 - 9:40 Don't Worry, Be Hari: The WUWHS Global State of the Union
Harikrishna Nair
9:40 - 09:55Panel Discussion
09:55 - 10:15 AM Break: coffee only (exhibit opens for lunch)

SESSION 2: Flow, Flow, Flow Again
10:15 - 10:30
Hard Rock & Heavy Metal: Is Orbital Atherectomy All That?
Mike Siah, MD
10:30 - 10:45
Mission Impossible: Defining the "No Option" Patient
Neal Barshes, MD, MPH
10:45 - 11:00
Simply the BEST: Deep Diving into the BEST-CLI Global Sub-Studies
Michael Conte, MD
11:00 - 11:15
The BEST of Times: Translating Trial Evidence into Practice
Joseph L. Mills Sr., MD, FACS,
11:15 - 11:30
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Conquering the Calcified Vessel
Samantha Minc, MD
11:30 - 11:45
Panel Discussion
11:45 - 01:15
Lunch Break and Exhibit
12:00 - 01:00
Sponsored Lunch Symposium by Stryker PV (non-CME)
Connecting Care for Limb Salvage: From Patient Identification to Post TADV Care
Arbor Ballroom G
Brian Lepow, MD & Laura Shin, DPM, PhD
01:15 - 01:30
OLMOS AWARD PRESENTATION

SESSION 3: Infectious Grooves
01:30 - 01:45
I need a Hiro: Lessons on the Latest in Antimicrobial Care
Hiroyuki Suzuki, MD
01:45 - 02:00
The BeBoP Beat: To Treat or Not to Treat Before the Biopsy?
Marcos Schechter, MD
02:00 - 02:15
Search and Destroy: The Predict Prevent, and Treat Battleplan
Brian Schmidt, DPM
02:15 - 02:30
Image Based Debridement is now a Thing: Just Watch This!
Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS
02:30 - 02:45
It's worse than you think: Mortality and Wounds
William Tettelbach, MD
02:45 - 03:00
Panel Discussion
03:00 - 04:00
PM Break: Exhibit & Posters
03:00 - 04:00
Sponsored Workshop by Integra LifeSciences Corporation (non-CME)
Off-loading with TCC-EZ Workshop
Arbor Ballroom G (Registration needed)
Jeffrey Jensen, DPM

SESSION 4: The Supporting Cast: Every Sole Singer Needs a Band
04:00 – 04:15I dream of Gene - Are Gene and Cell Therapy Ready for Prime Time
Michael Conte, MD
04:15 – 04:30Happy CAMPers? Your Modalities for the Modern Wound Healing Clinic
Brian Lepow, DPM
04:30 –04:45Counseling the High-Risk Patient (And Their High-Risk Clinician)
Brandon Brooks, DPM, MPH
04:45 – 05:00Lifestyle Redesign: Engineering a Better Daily Grind For Our Patients
Stacey Schepens-Niemiec, PhD, OTR/L
05:00 – 05:15 First Look: ALPS Clinical Practice Pathway for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Lee Rogers, DPM
05:15 – 05:30Panel Discussion
05:30Adjourn Day 1
05:30 - 07:30Welcome & Poster reception
7:00 Registration Open
07:00 - 08:00 Sponsored Breakfast Symposium by AROA (non-CME)
Harmony with Hyaluronic Acid: RCT Shows Symphony Strikes the Right Chord for DFU Healing
Brisbane
Chair: Barnaby May, PhD
Speakers: David Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD & Brandon Bosque, DPM
08:00 - 08:05 Welcome Back
Stephanie Wu & Robert Frykberg
8:00 - 09:40CME Workshop: Limb Preservation Center Dream to Reality in Arbor Ballroom G
Krishna Jain, Lee Rogers, Miguel Sandoval, Keith Greer
SESSION 5: Digital Remastery
08:05 – 08:20 TTT WTF?
Lee Rogers, DPM
08:20 – 08:35Postcard from ALPS: A Fellow's View of the Global Frontier
Sara Mahmood, DPM
08:35 – 08:40 ALPS Traveling Fellowship Announcement
Stephanie Wu, Robert Frykberg and Fellow
08:40 – 08:55 Supporting Physical Activity Behavioral Modifications in Persons with Diabetic Foot Disease
Bijan Najafi, PhD
08:55 – 09:10 The Reyz of Light: What the Podiatric Provider Is Missing in Plain Sight
Alex Reyzelman, DPM
09:10 – 09:25 Regifting the gift of pain: Can Spinal Cord Stimulation Improve Protective Sensation?
Rodica Pop Busui, MD
09:25 – 09:40 Panel Discussion
09:40 – 10.40 AM Break: Exhibit
09:45 – 10.00 Sponsored Spotlight Theater by Kerecis (non-CME)
From Sea to Salvage
Exhibition Hall
Cyaandi Dove, DPM
10:00 – 10.30Sponsored Workshop by AIROS Medical (non-CME)
IPC for PAD: How Noninvasive, Adjunctive Compression Therapy Supports At-Home Arterial Insufficiency Treatment
Arbor Ballroom G
John Evans, DPM

SESSION 6: Maximizing Activity Rich Days
10:40 - 10:55 Take Two Walks and Call Me in the Morning: Tailoring Physcial Activity Recommendations for Persons with Diabetic Foot Disease
Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS
10:55 - 11:10 Goldilocks and the Diabetic Foot: Too Little, Too Much or Just the Right Amount of Physical Activity
Ryan Crews, PhD
11.10 - 11:25 New Pills for Diabetic Ills
Rodica Pop Busui, MD
11:25 - 11:40 Should we be treating Charcot fractures more aggressively?
Laura Shin, DPM, PhD
11:40 - 11:55 Maximizing Activity Rich Days with the Optimized Therapeutic Footwear
Sicco Bus, PhD
11:55 - 12:10Panel Discussion
12:10 - 01:40Lunch & Exhibit & Posters
12:25 - 01:25Sponsored Lunch Symposium by EnColl (non-CME)
Role of Phosphorylated Type-I Collagen in Healing Chronic Diabetic Ulcers
Arbor Ballroom G
Subramanian Gunasekaran, PhD & Murugan Gunasekaran, BA

SESSION 7: Silicon Sole: Building the Next Gen Ecosystem to Eliminate Amputation
01:40 - 01:55WIREDUP: Putting Remote Control of the Diabetic Foot into the Patient's Hands
Caitlin Hicks, MD
01:55 - 02:10Pressure campaign: Should we be measuring people pre and postop like we say we are?
Ron Sherman, DPM
02:10 - 02:25 High RPM: Putting Remote Control of the Diabetic Foot into the Patient's Hands
Lindsey Riegler, PhD
02:25 - 02:40 Your Chatbot Will See You Now: The Era of Human + AI Collaboration
Salman Avestimehr
02:40 - 02:55 Closing the Loop: AI Chatbots, Smart Boots, and Autonomous Care for the Diabetic Foot
Bijan Najafi, PhD, MSc.
02:55 - 03:10 Panel Discussion
03:10 - 03:30 PM Break: coffee only / no exhibit

SESSION 8: Voice of the Patient
03:30 - 04:00The Sole of the Matter: Sage Wisdom from our Therapeutic Spouses
Patients: Lazaro Reyes, Willie Jefferson, Gene Hays & Frank Navarette
04:00Adjourn Day 2
8:00 - 09:30DFCon - Taste of Iceland Dessert Reception (faculty & registrants)

7:00 Registration Open
7:00 - 8:00 Sponsored Breakfast Symposium by Kent Imaging (non-CME)
Clearer Insight, Better Healing: Introducing the PRISM Framework for Chronic Wound Assessment and Management
Brisbane
Speaker: Jeffrey Niezgoda, MD, FACHM, MAPWCA, CHWS
8:00 - 8:10 Welcome Back
TBD
SESSION 9: An Image Enhancement
08:10 - 08:25The BOLD and the Beautiful: Is IVIM MRI the Perfusion Powerhouse?
David Reiter, PhD
08:25 - 08:40Anu's View on What's New: Dynamic NIRS
Anu Godavarty, PhD
08:40 - 08:55Pedal with the Mettle? Why Pedal Aceleration Time is the MVP of the Vascular Lab
Jill Somerset, RVT
08:55 - 09:10RUS PAT FTW
Lihong Wang, PhD
09:10 - 09:25The Tricorder is here: Mutiple Sensors on One Device
Farstash Vasefi
09:25 - 09:40Panel Discussion
09:40 - 10:40AM Break: Exhibit
09:50 - 10:05Sponsored Spotlight Theater by EnColl (non-CME)
Cover or Recover? The Type-I Collagen Difference
Exhibition Hall
Subramanian Gunasekaran, PhD & Murugan Gunasekaran, BA

 

SESSION 10: Wound Healing: Deep Cuts to Add to Your Soundtrack
10:40 – 10:55 The Billion Dollar Question: How Do I Make Sense of All of the New Wound Healing Products?
Lee Rogers, DPM
10:55 – 11:10 Who Turned on the Black Light? Seeing the Invisible in the High-Risk Foot
Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS
11:10 – 11:25 Just Say Yes to NO: Is the Future of Nitric Oxide Here?
Mike Edmonds, PhD (Virtual)
11:25 – 11:40 An Axis of Healing: We Should be Using Multiple Topicals to Heal Wounds
Harikrishna Nair
11:40 – 11:55 Clean Sweep 2.0: The IWII Revolution in Wound Hygiene
Kara Couch, MS, CRNP, CWS (Virtual)
11:55 – 12:10Panel Discussion
12:10 – 01:40 Lunch

SESSION 11: Summary Judgement: The Final Countdown
01:40 - 01:55 The Look Ahead: How the International Working Group will Change Your Practice 2027
Sicco Bus, PhD
01:55 - 02:10 The Screening Standard: Why Most Programs Fail and How We Fix Them
Rodica Pop Busui, MD
02:10 - 02:25 The Ghost of Wounds Past: 40 Years of Healing to Predict the Next 40
Michael Edmonds, MD (Virtual)
02:25 - 02:40 The Big Idea: What Game Changing Studies will Hit the Limb Preservation Horizon in the Near Future?
Michael Conte, MD
02:40 - 2:50Abstract Winner Announcement
Bijan Najafi, PhD, MSc.
02:50 - 03:00The Big Raffle Prize (and Kicking You Out until DFCon27)
David G. Armstrong (DPM, MD, PhD) & Michael S. Conte (MD)
03:00Adjourn

OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS

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Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time:  3:00-4:00 PM
Location: Arbor Ballroom G
Facilitator: Jeffrey Jensen, DPM
By: Integra LifeSciences Corporation
This workshop has limited capacity, and spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Non-CME Workshop
Off-loading with TCC-EZ

Join Integra for an interactive, hands-on Workshop at DFCon 2026! Dr. Jensen will walk you through the benefits of off-loading with TCC-EZ, help you practice your application techniques, and show how easy casting can be in your clinic or office.

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Date: Friday, October 23, 2026

Time: 8:00-9:40 AM
No registration required.
CME Workshop
Limb Preservation Center: Dream to Reality
Dreaming of launching a limb preservation center or looking to strengthen the one you already have? Join this CME workshop at DFCon and learn what it takes to turn vision into reality. From building a successful center and integrating advanced therapies to wound management strategies and sustainable business models, this workshop brings together leading experts in limb preservation for a practical, multidisciplinary discussion.
Featuring:
Whether you’re establishing a new program or expanding an existing one, this workshop offers valuable insights from clinicians and leaders who have helped shape successful limb preservation services.

 

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Date: Friday, October 23, 2026

Time: 10:00-10:30 AM
Location: Arbor Ballroom G
Facilitator: John Evans, DPM
By: AIROS Medical
This workshop has limited capacity, and spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Non-CME Workshop
IPC for PAD: How Noninvasive, Adjunctive Compression Therapy Supports At-Home Arterial Insufficiency Treatment

 

This workshop will revisit the clinical evidence and documented outcomes associated with IPC treatment for arterial insufficiency; discuss the mechanics of IPC therapy and how it increases lower extremity blood flow; review the 2024 ACC/AHA guidelines related to IPC use; and outline selection criteria for considering at-home adjunctive IPC treatment for PAD symptoms.
 
The session will also introduce the ARTAIRA® arterial compression device, a Medicare-reimbursed and VA-available IPC pump that treats PAD symptoms at home, including diabetic foot, arterial ulcers, atherosclerosis, and intermittent claudication, as well as no-option CLTI patients.